Verizon to let SMBs buy smartphones on the installment plan

Verizon announced Thursday that small business customers can now take advantage of monthly payment plans for new smartphones and other devices, avoiding a big cash outlay upfront.

The new installment plans for businesses are interest-free, spread over 24 months and mimic what Verizon already offers to consumers, Verizon said in a statement.

Monthly payments for smartphones have been adopted by many carriers partly as a way to ease the cost of upgrades borne by buyers as carriers and smartphone makers see smartphone sales flatten.

Verizon also simplified three separate monthly wireless network service plans into two plans, called The Verizon Plan for Business (for accounts with up to 25 lines) and the Flexible Business Plan (for 26 or more lines). Both plans offer shareable data, unlimited talk and text, unlimited international messaging from the U.S. and access to three corporate email programs: Good for Enterprise, Exchange ActiveSync and Lotus Notes Traveler.

Verizon offered an example of the payments required for both monthly service and devices for a company wanting to activate 20 new Droid Turbo 2 smartphones on the Verizon Plan for Business. The device cost for all 20 phones in the first month would be $520, plus $15 per phone per month for line access and $26 per month for the device payment. In addition, the service charge for a two-year contract would be $4,000 for the first month for all 20 devices and there would be a $35 monthly line service access charge per device.

ARN Distributor Directory

ARN Vendor Directory

Slideshows

Selling the benefits of the software-defined data centre

In looking ahead to the future of the data centre, a software-defined reality is emerging. This exclusive ARN roundtable, in association with APC by Schneider Electric, Cisco, HPE, Lenovo and Veritas, assessed the benefits of selling a software-defined data centre strategy, uncovering the key market trends and ongoing partner opportunities.

The channel toasted the top performing players within the Australian market during 2017, as the 11th running of the ARN ICT Industry Awards kicked off with a Champagne Reception at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney - sponsored by Westcon-Comstor and Juniper Networks.

Copyright 2017 IDG Communications. ABN 14 001 592 650. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of IDG Communications is prohibited.